How to Transplant Carrot Tops

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Not too many people realize that carrots are biennial. In the first year of growth, they develop the thick orange root that gardeners love to grow and eat. If left alone, carrots will concentrate their growth on leaves, flowers and seeds in the second year. If you've grown your carrots and enjoyed the sweet vegetable, you can still get an attractive houseplant from the leftover carrot tops. This project is ideal for teaching small children about plants and can create a delicate, lacy plant for your home or patio.

1

Cut the top from the carrot using a sharp knife, slicing about one-half inch from the leafy end. Use the rest of the carrot for a meal or snack. If your carrot top has leaves, cut them off, leaving short stubs no more than 1 inch tall.

2

Fill a shallow saucer or dish with one-half inch of plain tap water and place the carrot tops in the water, cut side down. Put the dish in a sunny windowsill.

3

Add water as needed in the next couple of weeks to keep the level the same. You will see green sprouts in the top of the carrot within a week, and small white roots will grow from the bottom in about the same amount of time.

4

Fill a planter with potting soil to within 1 inch of the top. Plant the carrot tops in the soil when the roots are about 1 inch long. Dig a hole in the soil with your fingers that is large enough for the carrot top, and plant the top so that it barely sticks up from the soil. Pat the soil down around it. Keep the carrot top watered well like any other houseplant, and place it in a sunny window.

Things You Will Need

Sharp knife

Cutting board

Shallow dish

Planter

Potting soil

Tip

Plant 6 or 8 carrot tops at the same time to create a large, leafy planter full of ferns.

About the Author

Working in sunny Florida, Anne Baley has been writing professionally since 2009. Her home and lifestyle articles have been seen on Coldwell Banker and Gardening Know How. Baley has published a series of books teaching how to live a frugal life with style and panache.